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Elven Oath Chapter 7 50%
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Chapter 7

Aodhan

W e should have been flying.

The weight of Vevina’s belongings, her precious silks, family heirlooms, and the countless gifts bestowed by her people, forced us to remain grounded. I should have anticipated it, but even now, I felt the frustration stirring in my chest as we set off on horseback rather than in our true dragon forms.

Falkor and Drago shared my sentiments. I can see it in their tense postures and hear it in the quiet sighs they think I’ve not noticed.

But the reality was that we couldn't leave without her things. So here we were moving slowly along the road that stretched before us.

The elves were coming out of their homes and lining the streets as we ride through the kingdom. Their curious eyes trained on our procession. I could see in their eyes that they were hoping for a glimpse of a dragon. Perhaps to see the legendary creatures of old soar above them, breathing fire and fury. But they were met only with the sound of hooves on dirt.

Vevina sat tall on her horse with her back straight and head held high. I knew from her silence that she was as unsettled as we were. The stares of her people lingered on her, and I found myself watching them too. I wondered if they could feel the same strange tension that I did. These people had once fought against mine, their histories filled with animosity, yet now they looked at us with something else. Something closer to fear.

I steal a glance at Vevina without her noticing. She hasn’t spoken to me since last night, hadn’t even acknowledged the depth of the bond that now tied us together. But I could feel it, like an invisible thread that pulled at the very core of me.

There was a strength in her, a quiet resilience, and I found myself wondering what thoughts raced through her mind as she left the only home she had ever known.

Talk to her. My inner dragon demanded but I refused to open my mind up for such a thing. Vevina may not take too kindly to knowing that we could talk to each other with only our minds if we wanted to.

That was one tidbit of information I’d stumbled upon in the historic archives on bond mates. She’d not only be able to speak to me but to any dragonkin she accepted as part of our family.

Looking ahead of us, the farmlands sprawl out in every direction, vast and golden under the late afternoon sun. The only noise being the slow, steady plod of our horses’ hooves on the dirt path, and the sound of the wind whispering through the fields.

The sun begins to dip lower in the sky as we press on, the golden fields giving way to the dense, towering trees of the forest’s edge. The shadows grow longer, stretching across the road ahead of us, and I know we will need to make camp soon. The air begins to grow cooler as we go further into the treeline.

Stealing another glance at my new wife, she looks a little stiff in the saddle. She’s probably not used to riding a horse as much as she has today.

“We’ll stop here,” I call out to Falkor and Drago as we approach a small clearing.

They both nod in agreement, wordless but efficient as they begin to dismount and prepare the camp. Vevina still says nothing. Her expression is unreadable as she too slides off her horse. She moves with grace, but the stiffness I had seen is there.

I watch her for a moment, unsure of what to say. The day had been long, and the weight of everything seemed to press down on both of us. She was no ordinary bride, and this was no ordinary marriage.

As the fire begins to crackle, casting a warm glow over the gathering darkness, I find my gaze drawn to my wife once more. She had stepped away from the camp, standing at the edge of the forest, her eyes fixed on something distant, something I couldn’t see.

“She’s quiet,” Falkor murmurs as he joins me by the fire. He glances over at her, his brow furrowing slightly. “But strong. I can see why her people seem to admire her even if her father doesn’t.”

I nod, though my mind is elsewhere. I can feel the bond between us again, though faint, beginning to tug at me. The same pull that had drawn me to her on our wedding night still lingered, a whispering promise of something deeper, something I couldn’t yet understand.

“She didn’t even know,” I say quietly, more to myself than to Falkor.

He raises an eyebrow. “Know what?”

“That we were to be married. Her father didn’t tell her. She walked into that hall completely unaware of what was about to happen.”

Falkor lets out a low whistle, shaking his head. “Not exactly the best start, is it?”

“No,” I mutter, my gaze fixed on Vevina’s silhouette in the distance. “It isn’t.”

Drago joins us then, dropping onto a log beside the fire. “She’ll have to accept it sooner or later,” he says, rubbing his hands together against the cool evening air. “The bond is sealed. Whether she likes it or not, she’s bound to you now. We felt it.”

I frown, my jaw tightening. “That doesn’t mean she has to like it.”

Drago shrugs. “True enough. But it also doesn’t mean she won’t.”

I don’t respond, my thoughts still tangled around the sight of Vevina standing alone at the edge of the camp. She hadn’t asked for this any more than I had. And yet here we were.

As the night deepens and the stars begin to scatter across the sky, I stand and make my way over to where she stands, her back still turned away. The firelight flickers behind us, but she remains still, her focus somewhere far beyond the present moment.

“Vevina,” I say softly, not wanting to startle her.

She turns her head slightly, just enough to acknowledge me. Her expression is calm, but there’s a depth in her eyes that speaks of uncertainty.

“I know this isn’t what you expected,” I begin, unsure of how to bridge the growing distance between us. “It wasn’t what I expected either.”

She doesn’t speak, but her gaze softens slightly, and I can see a hint of understanding there.

“We’ll take things one step at a time,” I say, my voice steady. “This journey isn’t just mine. It’s ours now.”

For a moment, she still remains silent, and I wonder if she will say anything at all. But then, slowly, she nods.

“I suppose we don’t have much choice,” she replies, her voice quiet but laced with resolve.

She still stares off into the trees although it’s so dark I don’t think she can see that far into them.

“What are you looking at?” I finally ask, opening my senses to scan the shadows in front of us.

“I’m not sure.” She sighs, rubbing her arms against the cool night air. “Someone should keep watch though.” She says, looking down at the goosebumps on her arms.

“We always do.” I answer, taking her arm. “Come warm up by the fire.”

As we walk back to the campsite, I wonder what just happened. What did she feel that I couldn’t see?

Vevina

I sit alone at the edge of the fire, wrapped in my thoughts as the flickering flames throw shadows across the clearing.

Aodhan and his friends seem to have settled in, though I can feel their presence even in the stillness. Falkor and Drago were muttering amongst themselves, while Aodhan is even more reserved, watching the fire with an intensity I can’t seem to ignore.

The weight of everything still presses down on me. The whirlwind wedding, the hurried departure from my home, the knowledge that I was now bound to this stranger, to these dragons.

My mind was still reeling with the rapid changes, and though I had accepted it outwardly, my heart ached with uncertainty.

I had been raised with tales of dragons, of the fierce war between our people, and though I knew this union was meant to heal those wounds, it felt more like a chain binding me to a fate I hadn’t chosen.

My father hadn’t even told me. The memory stung, and I found myself twisting my fingers around the hem of my cloak, the fabric grounding me in the midst of my confusion.

The maidens had dressed me for a wedding I didn’t know I was part of, and now here I was, on the road, leaving everything behind. And for what?

Although if I stop to think about it long enough, I can understand why my father kept quiet about it. He knows me well and knows that I’d have gone missing long enough for the dragons to have left our home.

A soft breeze rustles through the trees, and for a moment, I close my eyes, letting it wash over me. The air smells of pine and earth, reminding me of the orchard at home.

I didn’t trust Aodhan, not yet, but something in his eyes, the way he had looked at me, as though he was just as unsure as I was, gave me pause.

He wasn’t what I expected. The stories told of dragons being cold and heartless, ruthless in their power. But Aodhan... there was something more to him, something I couldn’t quite place.

Suddenly, a sharp crack echoes through the night, snapping me out of my thoughts. I turn, eyes scanning the dark edges of the camp.

Falkor and Drago are already on their feet, hands on their weapons, their eyes narrow as they look toward the trees. Aodhan rises more slowly, his stance tense, and for a moment, I think it was just a wild animal disturbing the peace.

But then, I see them.

From the shadows of the trees, figures emerge, silent and swift. Elves. At first, I think perhaps they were sent by my father, maybe even to check on me. But as they step closer, the glint of steel in their hands catches the firelight, and my heart sinks.

These weren’t my father’s men. These were rebels. Elves who still carried hatred in their hearts for dragons. Elves who despised the idea of peace. Elves who had no reservations about killing other elves, including their own princess.

I had heard rumors of them before, whispering of those who would never forgive the ancient war, who would believe this marriage to be a betrayal.

“Vevina, stay back,” Aodhan’s voice is firm, pulling me out of my shock.

He had already drawn his sword, and Falkor and Drago were beside him, their weapons gleaming in the firelight. The tension was palpable, the air thick with the threat of violence.

The elves move swiftly, their faces hidden beneath dark hoods, but I can feel the weight of their anger, their hatred, radiating toward us.

My heart pounds in my chest as I step back, instinctively reaching for the small dagger I keep hidden in my cloak. I had been trained in the basics of self-defense, but I had never faced an attack like this. An attack from my own people.

Without warning, the first of the rebels lunges forward, a blade flashing toward Aodhan. He moves quickly, deflecting the blow with a speed that takes me by surprise.

The clang of steel echoes through the clearing as Falkor and Drago engage the others. Their movements fluid and practiced. They are warriors, honed by years of battle, and it showed in every strike, every block.

But the rebels seem relentless. More of them pour out from the treeline, their numbers growing as they press the attack. I can hear their voices now, fierce, angry shouts in the ancient elven tongue.

They curse the dragons, curse the peace, and I realize with a sinking dread that they weren’t here to just kill Aodhan and his men. They were here for me too.

“Traitor!” one of them spits, his eyes burning with fury as he looks directly at me. “You’ve sold us to the dragons!”

I stumble back, my heart racing. “I didn’t choose this!” I shout, my voice trembling but strong. “I didn’t ask for this!”

But it doesn’t matter. To them, I am the symbol of everything they despise. A princess who has betrayed her own people, bound to their ancient enemies.

Suddenly, one of the rebels breaks through, slipping past Falkor and Drago. He comes straight for me, his blade raised high. Fear shoots through me like ice, threatening to freeze me in place. I can see the madness in his eyes, the determination to end me.

But before he can reach me, Aodhan is there.

He moves like a storm, a blur of motion as he intercepts the rebel’s attack. The clang of steel rings out as their blades meet, and in the blink of an eye, Aodhan disarms him, sending the elf crashing to the ground.

His golden eyes blaze with fury as he stands over the fallen rebel, his chest heaving with the effort of battle.

“Leave her alone,” Aodhan growled, his voice low and dangerous.

The rebel scrambles to his feet, retreating back toward the trees with a glare, but it was clear they were losing ground.

The dragons are stronger, faster, and the rebels hadn’t anticipated just how fierce their resistance would be.

Within minutes, the remaining rebels flee into the forest, their retreat swift and silent. The camp falls into an uneasy silence, broken only by the crackling of the fire and the heavy breathing of those who had fought.

I stand there, frozen, my heart still racing from the chaos. My dagger hangs limply in my hand, though I never had the chance to use it.

Aodhan turns toward me, his golden eyes still glowing with the remnants of battle, but beneath that fierce exterior, I see something else.

“Are you hurt?” he asks, his voice softer now.

I shake my head, unable to find the words. The shock, the confusion, it all rushes over me in a wave, and I feel myself trembling.

I hadn’t been prepared for this. I hadn’t asked for any of this. But as I look at Aodhan, standing there with his sword still in his hand, protecting me with a fierceness I hadn’t expected, I realize something.

We weren’t just strangers anymore. We were bound by something more than duty now, something forged in the heat of battle.

And as I stand there, breathing heavily in the aftermath, I can’t shake the feeling that this was just the beginning.

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